


Putty

by hyrude



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Everyone is blushing the entire time, Hands, M/M, Massage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-11
Updated: 2016-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-25 23:59:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6215431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyrude/pseuds/hyrude
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A gift for Auttie usagihawi for the HQ Rarepair Exchange! </p><p>The prompt was "Akaashi and Kageyama down-time? Maybe them caring for each other's nails and hands. Also, I have a personal headcanon that setters hands are sensitive so maybe them turning to putty beneath each other from a massage the other is giving their hands."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Putty

Pre-nationals practice camp was nothing like the Tokyo training Kageyama attended at the start of the season. Instead of jokes and aimless dicking around with a healthy dose of actual volleyball, this camp was characterized by as many games, drills, and laps as the coaches could physically force into 24 hours. Even after mandatory training ended, it seemed that everyone still scrambled just as hard to squeeze in any extra experience they possibly could before curfew.

As much as he lived for overexertion for the sake of his passion, though, even Kageyama's body was beginning to protest the abuse by the end of his fourth day. The quick routine of dorm-shower-bed-sleep- _go go go!_ before the regimen restarted each day left recuperation time lacking; he scarcely had time to eat, much less properly maintain his body. If Tokyo's finest could enforce a restriction on all dreams unrelated to game theory and ball pressure, Kageyama had no doubt that that would have done so by now.

As close as this aligned with Kageyama's dream vacation, the tight schedule meant less opportunity to properly warm up and cool down. Self-care was vital to any athlete, and with his normal routine of stretches and cardio sidelined, Kageyama could feel his calf muscles straining against every step he took toward the exit of the third gym.

"You're skipping cool-down, too?" a voice called out from over his shoulder, causing Kageyama to flinch and whip around. He'd thought everyone had already headed back for showers. Kageyama visibly relaxed when he caught sight of Akaashi still resting on the bench, hunched over with an elbow propped on each of his spread knees.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were still here," he responded, voice even despite the way his pulse picked up. "I didn't think I'd need it, but I always forget how much sorer your muscles feel once the endorphins wear off."

Akaashi tilted his head just slightly, spreading his knees even further and dropped his clasped hands down to the floor between them to stretch out his thighs. Kageyama stared very pointedly at the space between his eyebrows. "You of all people should know that you need to take care of your body if you want to perform at your peak. Have you been skipping stretches often? You seemed stiffer during practice," Akaashi reproached, his accusatory tone tinged with what Kageyama must have been imagining as amusement.

That gave Kageyama pause. He could hardly defend himself, anyway. The muscles just outside his pecs had been straining with every set he made, and by the final hour, he couldn't even find the energy for a jump serve with the way his hand was cramping up. "Well, I've been meaning to, but..." He trailed off, words failing him as Akaashi stood and closed most of the distance between them.

Closer now than Kageyama could ever remember being without a net between them, Akaashi had the sort of face that skipped over being attractive and moved right into intimidating. Kageyama felt his mouth go dry. He must have subconsciously been going to some incredible lengths not to notice prior to that moment; now that he had, he was immediately distracted trying to simultaneously memorize every detail and avoid looking unless from the corner of his eye, like with the sun.

"But...?" Akaashi prompted, and this time Kageyama couldn't have imagined the clear amusement in the little crinkles right next to his eyes. Kageyama wondered if his face looked as red as it felt. "Whatever the excuse, you should be sure to at least stretch your traps before you head back. Tight muscles will change your reaction time, and slow reaction times cause injuries. I was lazy all of last year when it came to stretches, and I paid for it in full when I botched a set and jammed my finger on the ball - had to wear a splint for the split ligament for half a year."

Kageyama's brow knit at that, unconsciously pinching thumb and forefinger against the meat of his other hand and rubbing at the knot there. Akaashi's eyes followed the movement. He seemed to consider something before returning to the same spot on the bench and moving a water bottle and towel to the floor. 

“Come sit a second,” he said, nodding at the now-empty spot to his side. Trying not to look like he was calculating exactly how much distance was socially acceptable to put between them, Kageyama rested beside him wordlessly. Kageyama heard more than felt all the blood leave his head when Akaashi shifted to straddle the metal bench and face him directly.

Akaashi reached forward to take the hand that was still being kneaded between Kageyama’s fingers. He moved slowly to give Kageyama a chance to protest; when he heard none, he held Kageyama’s hand palm-up on his own and ran one finger down a prominent vein in Kageyama’s forearm, pressing lightly. “The way your muscles are tightened up is kind of ridiculous,” Akaashi remarked with a rare smile. “I could pluck them like guitar strings.”

“Don’t act like that wouldn’t be impressive!” Kageyama retorted stupidly, not bothering to defend himself on a moot point. Relaxing minutely, he allowed Akaashi to massage a part of his wrist that made his fingers curl without his permission. His chest turned to follow the stretch of his arm and face Akaashi, knees twisting to point his way as well. “If you think that’s bad, you should feel my hands.”

Kageyama regretted the words the moment Akaashi shifted his attention downward to do just that, pressing at bridge of muscle beneath Kageyama’s pinky with a knuckle. He hoped he missed with way his breath caught and his eyelids fluttered at the pressure.

“Tension is usually the worst here for me,” Akaashi said with a tough pinch to the lower middle of his hand that made Kageyama's heartbeat change pace. “Something about the recoil from how the weight of the ball hits the tips of the fingers, I guess.”  Akaashi paused to trace the natural creases in Kageyama’s palm, over the head line and the fate line and Kageyama didn’t know much about palm reading, but he was definitely feeling something stir in his heart line.

“If I don't hurry back, the team dumbass is probably going to take my shower slot and I'll have to stay up even later,” he protested weakly, barely loud enough to hear, and clearly without intent to move. Akaashi humored him with a sharp breath like the start of a laugh. Frankly, Kageyama was impressed he even remembered how to speak. Every place on his hands that Akaashi so much as brushed felt hot and soft. His eyes lidded at the sensation, knee unconsciously bouncing. He couldn't even find it in himself to be flustered over the way his whole body was turning to putty.

For the first time since the start of the impromptu massage, Akaashi glanced up even as he moved downward on the hand resting in his lap, now gently squeezing the base of each finger and working to the tip. The dark eyes and intense expression may have been seen as a likeness between them, but the way the features sat so attractively on Akaashi couldn’t have looked any more different to Kageyama. Looks had never intimidated Kageyama before, but Akaashi Keiji on the whole seemed to exist solely in the interest of making Kageyama unsure of himself. His fingers tingled, whole body warm.

“Akaashi-san…” Kageyama breathed out. Akaashi finished his ministrations and allowed him to draw back his sensitive hand slowly. Suddenly, he was very aware of their close proximity, of how his hands had been interlocked with an offensively attractive near-stranger mere moments ago. Some of the ruddiness on Kageyama's cheeks seemed to be reflected in Akaashi’s pink-tinted ears, as though he was realizing the same out-of-place intimacy.

Kageyama couldn’t remember the last time he felt so vulnerable.

“Tobio,” Akaashi responded, barely any more composed. He seemed to be searching for something like confirmation in the other boy’s expression.

A pregnant pause stretched between them as Kageyama dragged his gaze from the hands resting in his lap up to his eyes and back down to his soft, parted lips. He felt his body sink at the slight of a pink tongue darting out to wet them. Their hands found each other once again, and before Kageyama had time to doubt himself, the soft curve of lips pressed against his own. His eyes slipped closed and he had just enough time to smile into the kiss before they were pulling apart again. Kageyama lowered his gaze, embarrassed, but if flushed cheeks and gleaming eyes didn’t give him away, the short, breathy laugh he let out certainly did.

 Akaashi gave their clasped hands a squeeze and let out a nervous laugh of his own. “Want me to do the other one, too?”

               

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you enjoyed! I love love love this ship, and Akakage doesn't get nearly enough attention, so I was over the moon at the chance to write for them. I'm so glad to have you as my partner!!!


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